Fake Domain Renewals

Domain name renewal scams have been around for years - but it seems like this activity has increased somewhat over recent months, hence this post.

Since I am personally listed on the domain records for hundreds of my own and clients domain names, I frequently get both emails and letters through the mail asking me to "renew" my domains. The problem is that these solicitations never come from the registrars the domains are registered through - which gives me the immediate "red flag" that they are scams.

Here's the deal. Domain records are public records. Scammers will access these records and send you a fake invoice either by email or regular mail. I say "fake invoice" since it's not technically an invoice at all - it's just made to look like one, in order to deceive you.

They are solicitations to transfer your domain from your current registrar to theirs.

Don't get caught by one of these scams. Never respond to a solicitation by email or regular mail. In fact, registrars almost never send out renewals via snail mail - it's just not cost-effective anymore. Just be aware of what your renewal date is and contact your registrar well in advance directly to renew.

If you are a customer of ours, and have concerns, give us a call. We take care of most of our clients domain names so you don't have to worry about renewals or scams.